Kin Kin Kitten
by Chocolatei
Summary: While on a mission to apprehend a rogue alchemist, Al picks up a strange, malnourished kitten. Ed isn't particularly happy, but who knows what will happen in this change of events? Rated T for language, undetermined pairings. OC closely involved
1. An Explosive Beginning

A/N: Hello, readers and lovers of FMA! This is my first fanfiction, and I have a vague idea of where this story is going. Anyways, here is a long first chapter for you! This is a manga based story, and I'm not sure about what pairings I want to use yet. But there will be no yaoi and no Elricest! There is an OC closely involved, as well. Please feel free to read and drop me a review. I am continuing this.

By the way, I could not bring myself to fully write out the word "hell" in a swearing context. But I felt that Edward just wouldn't be Edward without his vibrant language, so when you see this: he**, it means _that _word. Also, the word "kin" means gold in Japanese.

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. I only adore it.**

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It was Market Day in Lichenburgh, and heads were turning to gape at the walking suit of armor and his golden-haired companion, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Brother, they're staring," whispered Alphonse, the younger of the two siblings.

Ed waved his hand dismissively and opened his mouth to retort when a little, ecstatic child pranced up to the two. The kid giggled and hugged Al's leg while jumping up and down with excitement. A harried mother followed while wiping the sweat off her flushed brow.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she murmured, addressing Al and smiling wearily. "But I must say, it gladdens my heart that even foreigners outside the city are hearing of our festive Market Day." The woman beamed at Edward, "You fellows outdid yourselves with the costume. Have a nice Market Day!"

Before a stammering Ed could even start to produce words, the mother chased after her rambunctious daughter, who had wandered over to a gaudy candy stall.

"What the he**?" cried Ed. He rubbed his pulsing temples as he watched the stares around them melting into smiles of realization. "You don't mind it, do you, Al?"

With the familiar rattling of metal, Al shook his head and replied with a level tone. "It's not the first time, Brother."

As they continued walking through the crowded and embellished street, Ed couldn't help but think that he was feeling quite... happy. Despite the stupid mission for which he and his brother had come to the town for, it had been a long time since Ed and Al had seen so many laughing faces. Ed was only sorry that he had a _duty _to fulfill. That bastard colonel had prescribed that the Fullmetal Alchemist investigate a rogue alchemist that had been transmuting gold.

Though he had a military duty lurking in the depths of his mind, the lightheartedness of the holiday was quite infectious. In fact, Ed and Al were hopeful that they might find out something about the Philosopher's Stone. After all, there was a decent pool of books in the city today.

Although he knew that he had to start asking around about the rogue alchemist soon, at the moment Ed found himself scanning over the pages of a particularly interesting alchemy book. "Al, take a look at this-" he started, turning to face... Al? He stopped, realizing that he had been walking for a while now, and that the clanking sound of Al's stride had ceased.

Ed looked around him. The streets were filled with merchants and excited hagglers, but there was no Al to be seen. "Al? Al! Alphonse!" The blond youth swore colorfully before remembering that it had been a long time since Al had been to a fair. They'd been through hell, and this place, this setting- was an exhilarating reprieve from their usual hectic exploits.

Al was bound to be somewhere. He couldn't be too far away, and luckily for the *short* Fullmetal Alchemist, Al was an easy landmark in a crowd. If his little brother had gone and picked up a stray kitten somewhere, Ed would kill him. He considered the situation, reluctantly set down the book, and started retracing his steps.

~*****~

After some time and too many exasperated inquiries of, "Have you seen a giant suit of armor?" and having been misled to an armory, Ed found his sibling standing motionlessly in front of a stand selling containers. The stand was a disarray of cages, caskets, baskets, and the like. On the table was the subject that had enraptured Alphonse.

It was a large, grayish, and speckled kitten in a wrought-iron cage. The wretched creature was emaciated and weak from lack of food and exercise. Sensing potentially dangerous thoughts from Al, Ed stomped over and shook Alphonse's arm.

"What the he**, Al? _This_ is where you run off to, without even saying a word?"

If a suit of armor could frown, Al would have done so. "But Brother, look! It's terrible!"

Ed sighed in irritation. "Al! Let's go. I want something to eat!"

"But Brother, that poor kitten!"

"It's not our problem, Al!"

"Brother! You're so mean!"

~*****~

All this while, the store's merchant had been watching the eccentric pair argue. Those two were too loud- they were driving the business away. And that meant less money, less real and valid money, anyways.

The merchant was a bit unnerved by the armor guy (who knew how much flesh and muscle could be stored in there?), so he decided to address the golden punk.

"Hey, are you planning to buy something, shorty?"

The merchant could swear that the kid's head turned to him by degrees. "Who. Are. You. Calling. So. Short. That. YOU NEED A MICROSCOPE TO SEE HIM?!"

Al saw an opportunity, and he boldly (or stupidly) took it. While both his brother and the merchant were distracted, Al swiped the cage containing the kitten right off the table, wildly grabbed his brother's collar, and started to run, yanking Ed with him.

As they darted through startled throng of people, Ed slapped his left hand to his forehead (if he wasn't careful, he might have given himself a concussion with his automail) in deep frustration. "Al, you idiot! Look at what you've done!"

The merchant was running after them and was only a little ways behind. Al, who hadn't responded to Ed's vexation, suddenly ducked into an alley, pulling his brother in as well. With a nimble and experienced hand, Al procured a piece of chalk and drew an alchemy circle, transmuting a wall between the street and the alley.

When he was done and had deemed them to be safe, Al spoke at last. "Sorry, Brother, but I just couldn't help myself." He held the kitten's cage at eye level. The poor thing was trembling like a willow in the wind. Al tucked the cage into his armor's compartment, obviously trying to protect it from his older brother's wrath. "It would have starved to death."

Fortunately for the kitten, Ed was out of breath and didn't even attempt to chastise Al. He knew full well that kittens were the only things for which Al would abandon all reason.

"We'll talk about this later," Ed grumbled, "But first, let's find an inn. I'm starving." He sighed and strode deeper into the alley, looking around for an easy way out. Without warning, the wall Al had transmuted erupted in a shower of rubble.

The merchant that had been trailing them was standing in the midst of the broken wall, rubbing his first and laughing hideously. It was obvious to the trained eye that the man had broken through with alchemy.

Both boys quickly assumed the fighting position, but Ed relaxed and leaned against the wall as soon as he saw that Al was already on the case. After all, it had been Al's mad impulse that had landed them in this situation.

The merchant gave Al a tight-lipped, malicious grin. However, to the merchant's disappointment, the special villain effects didn't seem to faze the brats at all.

"So you know a little alchemy, armor guy," he spat. "How dare you steal that merchandise! I'll show you your place!"

"Kittens aren't merchandise!" roared Al, as he hurtled forward.

The merchant managed to dodge the nimble blows, but he was visibly impressed. "That kitten is a special one. It's mine!" He threw a kick, which was deftly blocked and diverted by a chop from the opponent.

~*****~

Ed watched as the bothersome merchant dueled his brother in a fist fight. The old man was better at hand-to-hand combat than they had reckoned, but Ed wasn't worried. In such combat, Ed had rarely won against Al.

"Al, hurry the he** up! It's getting dark and I'm hungry!"

The merchant broke away from the fight and stopped. Al stepped back and eyed his opponent warily. The man grinned, this time revealing a set of brilliantly golden teeth.

"Since you lasted this long, I'll show you kids something cool," he purred, licking his lips. "But I'm warning you- if you see this, I'll have to kill you."

Before either of the brothers could respond, the man revealed a golden necklace, which had a complex alchemic circle inscribed onto it. The necklace glowed, and a purely gold spike emerged from the ground. The spike whistled forward to target Al, who sidestepped and only received a slight grazing.

Edward's eyebrows rose in surprise. This turn of events had been completely unexpected. "Well, well, well," he said, stepping up and placing a gloved, automail finger on the tip of the gold spike. "So here is our infamous criminal, Al."

The vendor smirked. "Are you scared, midget?"

Al groaned. "Uh oh..."

In the end, Ed had exploded, but this time, having no restraints on his alchemy, had clapped his hands and destroyed the alley, the storefronts of two nearby shops, and the gold transmuter.


	2. Little Kinopi

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, but am I not allowed to fantasize a little? Enjoy!**

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"Brother, please?"

"No. Absolutely not. Impossible."

"Brother, please let me keep her! Please!"

Ed sighed and ran a tired hand over his face. "No, Al. Now put it back in the gutter where it belongs."

Al remained motionless. His leathery, gloved hands cradled the sleeping kitten caressingly, with a gentleness that seemed unfit for a formidable giant of steel. "But Brother--"

"Al, how many times do I have to tell you? No. You _know_ we can't possibly bring a fragile little thing like that with us. Besides, Al, you've got me, and--"

"I'm lonely." Al ran a finger over the kitten's head. He couldn't quite remember what velvety fur felt like. It had been so long- too long. "I'm lonely when you go to sleep at night. It's so dark and I'm all alone…"

Ed breathed in sharply and looked away, his heart throbbing with the guilt that had cursed him ever since _that day._ Al… no amount of apologies could make up for the pain Al had suffered because of him, Ed. A pang drummed his chest when he thought of how selfish he had been, and how much Al wanted and needed this little comfort. It was only a tiny ball of fur… just one kitten. What was so special about kittens, anyways? Ed sighed and felt himself sinking in a vat of despair as he realized that he was actually about to allow Al to keep that kitten. A kitten! What kind of deathly ills could this one little kitten bring to their lives? Ed looked up to see Al staring right back at him. To any other person, those hollow eyes would have merely seemed emotionless. But to Ed, those eyes were pleading, for god's sake, pleading and cracking what was left of the manly stubbornness that Ed had managed to cling onto.

"Well… I suppose you can...-" and here Ed had to pause to plant an image of Al in his mind, although Al was standing right in front of him, for mental support- "ah, keep it… but it's on probation!" Al wasn't listening, though. As soon has Ed had uttered the first few words, Al had known that he had broken his older brother's pigheaded obstinacy. Before Ed had even finished, Al had been grinning and celebrating his rare victory. But he hadn't failed to notice the pained expression on his brother's face. Al wasn't as stupid as to not know about the dangers involved in attaching oneself to anything. By adding this kitten to their family, they would be exposing her to countless hazards. And there would be hell to pay for it if this defenseless, diminutive kitten ever got hurt.

But for now, a victory won against his tenacious brother was something to celebrate. A kitten, a kitten! Finally! And the nights wouldn't be as hard to bear anymore. Although Al knew that he always had Ed, this little, breathing, pocket-sized feline would be an added solace. But oh, how grand! The guys back at Central would be ecstatic, although they would probably make fun of Ed behind his back for weeks.

Ed watched as his little brother laughed and hugged the bundle of dirty fur close to his chest. It was a bit heartwarming, actually. And as he stood there thinking about how darned adorable his little brother could be, Ed's stomach grumbled noisily, reminding them all that it had been hours since Ed had last eaten. And, right in sync, the kitten mewled as well, clearly letting them know that it was hungry.

As Ed had quite a temper when he was hungry, he glared at that abominable thing and started walking. It had been an hour or two since the insolent, narcissistic fool of an alchemist who clearly needed his eyes checked- Ed wasn't short at all!- had been arrested by the military force that had come to detain that scum. After the men had left, Ed had reluctantly turned to the task of transmuting the gold back into the dirt. Had it been a much cleaner and purer gold, Ed would have had a hard time keeping himself in check. But the gold was a low-class, cheap standard hunk of ore masquerading as real gold, although technically, the stuff _was _gold. In any case, Ed had finished the job with a clap of the hands while Al had carefully taken the kitten out of the cage and had checked its gender.

And now, he was hungry, and they needed to find an inn. Ed had already made the decision to stay the night here in Lichenburgh before leaving, unfortunately, for Central. Clearly, there would have to be some changes in the apartment the Elric brothers shared. At the moment, though, he didn't want to think about anything except for the lure of food. When Ed stumbled into an inn with both Al and their new companion close behind, the blond teen peered with bleary eyes at the innkeeper and somehow managed to order everything on the menu. Al clanged into the inn, saw the massive amount of food being generated for his brother, and sighed.

"Idiot brother! How do you expect to eat this all, nevertheless pay for it?"

Ed, who was now starting to feel a little better, scooped up a mountain of fried rice and shoved it into his mouth. "Relmmmff, mmmffm brmmff," Ed mumbled with food in his mouth.

"Brother! You know it's bad manners to eat with your mouth full!"

Ed swallowed and repeated, "Relax, little brother." He grinned, unwittingly displaying a lovely piece of pea that had wedged itself between his front teeth. "Remember, I'm pretty loaded right now."

The innkeeper had been doubtful about the kid that had staggered in and had ordered all that food, but with the appearance of Al, he became doubly suspicious. With a frown on his face, he suspended the fulfillment of the kid's whole-menu-order and strode over to the table where the eccentric pair had situated themselves. _Those are a nasty lot, you can see it. If they can't pay for what's already here, well…_

"Excuse me, good sirs. I thought there might have been something wrong with the order you just made and was wondering if you had the money to pay for it all?"

Al made to speak up, but Ed nudged the suit into silence. "Of course I have the money to pay for it! Please keep it coming, I'm famished!" With that, Ed dug into another plate ravenously.

The innkeeper watched the boy eat with a sense of disgust, admiration, and lingering suspicion. Little, short kids like him didn't come into an inn hungry like that loaded with money. Ah well, it was still Market Day, and the innkeeper could demonstrate a little sincerity today. It was pretty late, though, so most of the food the kid would ever get his filthy little hands on would be from the day's leftovers. Before the innkeeper could reach the safe refuge of his kitchen, the guy in the suit of armor had clanked up to him and had tapped his shoulder. When he spoke, the voice was so ridiculously high pitched that the man had to hold his laughter.

"Excuse me, mister, but I need some milk. Also, please forgive my brother. He really can't eat everything on that menu… I don't think it's just physically possible." Alphonse laughed nervously before looking behind him at his brother, who was now being regarded as a freak of nature by the other diners in the inn.

The innkeeper forced a smile and assured Al that he would be sure to give them a discount, and that the milk would be sent out right away. "Will you also be staying during the night?"

Al nodded. "Yes, we need a room. Thank you."

Although the innkeeper had promised a discount, the bill still ended up being ridiculously high. The keeper watched in fascination as a bloated Ed pulled out the necessary bills and coins, counted them, and handed them over. Still, Ed had managed to eat almost all of the food, and that was to be treated as a miracle. Many of the inn's guests had crowded around Ed's table as they watched him down plate after plate. The table had become even more popular when Al, who had watched his brother with embarrassment for quite awhile, had brandished a mewling kitten and had proceeded to feed it. With the milky whiskered kitten now drowsing softly in his hands and Ed still going strong, Al felt rather content. Overall, Lichenburgh had been really quite interesting, and best of all, Al had convinced his brother to allow him to keep a cat!

Not only had Ed agreed to keeping the cat, but he had also transmuted the gold spike back without a single voiced qualm. The criminal had been arrested, and for now, things were going smoothly. The only thing that struck Alphonse as incomplete about the day was the fact that the kitten still didn't have a name. One of the inn's waitresses had stopped to ask a question Al hadn't even contemplated yet.

"You said it was a female, right? What's her name?"

Silence fell, and even Ed stopped chewing. When Al glanced frantically at his brother, Ed merely shrugged and resumed his feast. Which basically meant that Ed had entrusted the whole matter of the name to Al.

Al thought long and hard for a few moments, reminiscing the day's events. That's right, Ed and Al had both brought down that gold transmuter. "Kin*… Kinopi. Her name is Kinopi."

The waitress smiled before responding, "Oh, what a cute name. But her fur is silver, so why Kinopi?"

Ed had scoffed when Al had chosen the name. He cleared his throat and said, "To remember."

Although the crowd was confused and couldn't have possibly understood, Al did. He grinned and replied, "Yeah. To remember."

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**A/N: Well, here it is! I have to say, it was a lot of fun writing this chapter. Oh, Ed… you continue to amaze us all.**

***Again, kin means gold.**


End file.
